Chair iron hub



H. w. BOLENS 2,542,469

CHAIR IRON HUB Feb. 2%, 1951 Original Filed Feb. 16, 1942 |NVENTOR HARRY w. BOLENS 5% uMX k ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 20, 1951 UNITED v STATES v PATENT OFFICE CHAIR Icon HUB Harry W. Bolens, Port Washington, Wis., assignor,

by mesne assignments, to The Song Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Original application February 16, 1942, Serial No.

431,109. Divided and this application July 27, 1944, Serial No. 546,783

1 y 7. This application is a division of application Serial No. 431,109 filed on February 16, 1942 now Patent No. 2,403,425.

This invention relates toan improvement in tiltable chairs, and more particularly to an improvement in the hub of the base of such chairs.

One of the objectsof the invention is to provide a chair base with a hub which may be fabricated from sheet metal parts. and which is not only extremely strong, rugged, and durable, but which also facilitates the assembly of the legs with the base in a secure and rigid manner without imposing excessive or fatiguing stresses on-the metal elements of the base or setting up cracking strains in the-material, usually wood,-

of the legs.

Otherobjects and advantages'reside in-certain novel features of the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, which will be hereinafter more fully described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary view partially inside elevation and partially invertical section on substantially a central plane of a chair iron embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary-top plan viewtaken on the plane of the line 2-2 of Fig. l with parts of the-spindle nut broken .away to show the structure of the hub of the present invention;

' v Fig. 3 is a bottomplan view of the hub shown in Figs. land 2; .v Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on the plane of the line 4-4. of Fig. 3;

- Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in transverse cross section taken on the plane of the line 5-5 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 6 is an elevational view of the chair iron hub. prior to its assembly-with the chair legs and the remainder of the chair iron and with the mounting lug for the nut-retaining screw shown in vertical section.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the chair embodying the present invention comprises generally a metal base or hub, designated as a whole at l, and to which legs 2 are connected and secured in a manner which will hereinafter more clearly appear. The hub l supports the spindle 3 of the chair. erally at 4, is mounted'on the upper end of the spindle and provides-a-support for the seat 5 .of

the chair I The hub l is shown in detail in Figs. 3 to 6, inelusive. It is fabricated of sheet metal parts A chair iron, designated gen 2 Claims. (01. 248-194) and comprises generally a central sleeve or tube 6, a circular cap or top plate 1, a bottom plate 8, and a plurality, preferably four, of leg brackets 9.

The central sleeve or tube 6 may be seamless or it may be rolled from a piece of sheet metal, and at its ends is formed with integral, outwardly directed, annular flanges Ill and ii. The top plate or cap plate I is formed with a central opening in which the upper end portion of the central sleeve or tube 5 is press fitted, and to which it may be otherwise suitably secured. The flange ID at the upper end of the sleeve 6 overlaps the margin of the central opening of the top plate 1 on the top side thereof. The outer peripheral portion of the top plate 7 is provided witha downwardly curved flange l 2. The bottom plate 8 also has a central opening in which the lower end portion of the central sleeve or tube 6 is press fitted and otherwise suitably secured, and the flange I I at the lower end of the tube 6 overlaps the margin of the central opening of the plate 8 on the underside thereof. The lower plate 8 is provided with four radially extending Wings or attaching arms, designated generally at 13, and which have integral triangular enlargements 13' at their outer ends. The leg brackets are of similar construction and each is of shallow V-shaped formation in horizontal cross section although at spaced intervals along each leg bracket ribs or bosses l4 are pressed outwardly therefrom to stiffen and strengthen the brackets.

Y Theupper end of each leg bracket is provided withlan integral attaching lug 15. Each lug I5 is formed integral with the central or bight portion of the upper end of its leg bracket. Each lug. l5 extends through an opening it provided therefor in the top plate 1. The portions of the lugs i5, projecting above the top plate I, are staked down, riveted over, or otherwise upset against the top of the top plate 1, as indicated at [5, to rigidly secure the leg brackets to the top plate. While this provides a secure and rigid attachment, the point of attachment is between the central or bight portions of the upper ends of the leg bracket and the top plate so as to leave the wings or side members 9' of each leg bracket free to flex. The leg brackets 9 are constructed of stiffly resilient metal, but with this manner of attachment to the top plate 1 their wings or side member 9 can fiex or elastically deform sufiicicntly to compensate for variations in thicknesses in the legs 2 with which they are combined so that the legs 2 and leg brackets 9 may be assembled without cracking the material of the legs 2 through over-strain, and Without setting up destructive or fatiguing stresses in the metal of the leg brackets 9. The central or bight portion at the lower end of each leg bracket 9 is provided with a slot 9a which snugly interfits and interlocks with the notched portion I3a of each attaching arm or wing l3, and if desired the slotted portion at the lower end of each bracket and notched portion of each attaching arm may be staked into engagement or otherwise rigidly secured together. However, here again the wings or side members 9' of the leg brackets 9 are free to flex relative to the triangularly shaped portions I3 of the attaching arms 13, for, as shown in Fig. 3, there is a slight clearance between the adjacent edges of these triangular shaped portions [3 and the adjacent surfaces of the side members or Wings 9' o the leg brackets.

In the assembly the legs have their upper portions tightly interfitted between the confronting portions or side members 9' of adjacent leg brackets and they are further secured in position by other suitable fastening means, such as screws or the like (not shown), which are passed through the top plate I and secured into the material of the legs in the usual way.

The spindle- 3 is slidably and rotatably fitted in the central sleeve or tube E of the hub l. A nut 28 is threaded on the spindle and is formed at its upper and lower ends with outwardly directed annular flanges 2| and 22. The lower flange 22 of the nut 20 rides on the flange 10 of the c-ntral sleeve or tube 6 of the hub l, or preferably, a washer 22' is interposed between the flanges l and 22. A cap-like hand-wheel 23 is riveted or otherwise suitably secured to the upper flange 2| of the nut 20. A vertical lug 24 is suitably secured to the top plate I of the base I and has an internally threaded. opening therein to receive the threaded shank of the screw 25 which may be adjusted to overlie the lower flange 22 of the nut 20. The nut, 20 may be adjusted by turning the hand-wheel 23 to raise or lower the spindle 3 and thereby determine the height of the seat of the chair.

The chair iron 4 includes a head-piece, designated at 26, having a body portion 21 formed with side plate 28 and a front plate 29. The body portion 21 is formed with a depression 30 provided with a central opening through which the upper end 31 of the spindle 3 extends. At

of the yoke are cross connected at their rear ends by an integral end plate 43. The forward ends of the side plates 4| of the spider have apertured extensions 41', which are pivotally supported on the head-piece 26 by means of a pivot pin 44.

For the purpose of yieldably resisting rearward tilting of the chair and the seat, and normally biasing it to a vertical position, one or more springs55 are employed. One end of each spring 55 bears against the end plate 43 of the yoke 40.

the juncture of the main portion of the spindle 3, and its extension 31, a shoulder 32 is presmted. A washer 33 is fitted on the upper endtl of the spindle 3 between the shoulder. 32 and theunderside of the depression 30 of the body portion of the had-piece 26. A second washer 34. is fitted on the upper end of the end 31 of the spindle 3 above the body portion 21 of the headpiece. A look washer 35 engages the top of this washer 34 and is in turn engaged by a nut 36 which, when tightened up, provides a simple and inexpensive y-t secure and rigid interconnection between the head-piece 26' and the spindle 3.

A spider, designated generally at 31, is pivotally supported on the head-piece 2B. The spider comprises transversely spaced, longitudinally extending spider arms 38, the ends of which are apertured to adapt them to be suitably secured, as, for example, by means of screws 39 to the seat 5 of the chair. Intermediate their ends the arms 38 of the spider 31 are rigidly secured and interconnected by m;ans of a yoke or frame, designated generally at 40, and having side plates 4! rigidly connected to the vertical flanges of the spider arms 38. The side plates 4| abutment or cross-head 51.

The outer end of each spring 55 is engaged in a spring seat provided therefor in an adjustable A tension rod 58 extends through a central opening in the crosshead 51, through an opening in the end plate 43 or the yoke Mand an opening in the front crossplate 29 of the head-piece 26 and has its outer end threaded and engaged by a hand nut 59.

While I have shown and described one construction in which the invention may be advantageously embodied, it is to be understood that the construction shown has be n selected merely for. the purpose of illustration or example and that various changes in the size, shape, and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A hub for the base of a chair adapted to have the chair legs secured thereto, said hub comprising a tube, a top plate fixed to the upper end of the tube, and leg brackets each of which comprises a sheet metal stam ing of approximately shallow V-shaped formation in horizontal cross section with the apex of the V directed toward the tube and having side plates and a bignt portion integral with and connecting said side plates, the bight portion only of each leg bracket having an integral attaching lug staked to the top plate to some the leg brackets in position, each of said side plates being attached only to the bight portion so that it is free to flex uniformly throughout its length relative to the top plate and the legs, whereby said side plates are adapt-d to grip the legs yieldingly and with uniform pressure through their area of contact therewith.

2. A leg receiving base for a chair comprising a sl-eve, plates fixed to the sleeve and extending laterally therefrom, a leg bracket including side plates and a bight portion integral with and connecting said side plates, and means fixedly connecting the bight portion only to said plates to rigidly secure the bracket to the plates and tube, the bight portion of the bracket being closer to the sleevev than are the side, plates and the side plates being attachdonly to the bight portion so that they are free to flex uniformly through-1 out theirlength relative to the plates and the legs, whereby the side plates are adapted to grip the legs yieldingly and with uniform, pizssure throughout their area of contact therewith.

HARRY W. BOLEN S.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,459,138 Bolens June 19, 1923 1,570,437 Dawson Jan. 19-, 1926 1,604,144 Bump Oct. 26, 1926 Sheldrick Aug. 8, 1939 

